Former U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King and former U.S. President Barack Obama. Photo Courtesy of: USA Today

John B. King Jr. epitomizes the American dream. Brooklyn born and bred, King was an orphan by age 12. His mom died of a heart attack when King was 8 and his dad died from Alzheimer’s disease.

But his love for learning was what he found his comfort in learning. A product of the New York City public school system, King comoleted his undergraduate work at Harvard University. After Harvard, he completed his Masters of Education at Columbia before earning his JD at Yale.

John B. King Jr. is currently the president and CEO of The Education Trust, a nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes high academic achievement for all students.

Check out former U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. & Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson via Scoop B Radio

Before his current position, King was tapped as the secretary of education in 2016, under former U.S. President Barack Obama. During President Obama’s time in office, he founded the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance. Amid the huge disparity in opportunity for millions of boys and young men of color (in comparison with White males, as young girls of color face similar disparities), the My Brother’s Keeper initiative was created to assist leading businesses into taking steps to tailor their diversity and talent strategy of hiring male POC.

My Brother’s Keeper Alliance was activated in February 2014 following the death of Trayvon Martin. By 2020, the majority of Americans under the age of 18 will be persons of color. The My Brother’s Keeper Alliance helps boys and young men of color by supporting program interventions and targeting six key life milestones that include entering school ready to learn (Early Childhood), Reading at Grade Level by Third Grade (Middle Childhood), graduating from high school ready for college and career (Adolescence), completing post-secondary education or training (Adulthood Transition), successfully entering the Workforce (Adulthood) and reducing violence and providing a second chance (Throughout Life).

Check out Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson’s feature on President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance in EBONY

Having covered the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance since its inception and announcement at Lehman College in 2014, I got a bit curious in a recent interview with King. As an educated African American, I hold dear to my heart that the Every Student Succeeds Act replaced the No Child Left Behind Act. As an experienced educator, King broke down to me how that changes the outlook on students who were under the No Child Left Behind Act during the Bush Administration. “The good thing about the new law is that it gives states and districts a chance to broaden the definition of an excellent education so yes of course students need strong skills in English and math,” John B. King told me on Scoop B Radio.

“But there’s an opportunity to think about science, social studies and excellence in the arts social and emotional development a much broader vision. At the same time were going to make sure implementation of the law protects student’s civil rights and the focus on equity. You know we still have big achievement gaps for African American and Latino students, low income students and English learners. So we have a lot of work to do and we have to make sure that states use their new flexibility and service of equity and better outcomes for students who haven’t had the opportunity to shift.”

By 2020, the majority of Americans under the age of 18 will be persons of color.  The My Brother’s Keeper Alliance will help boys and young men of color by supporting program interventions and targeting six key life milestones that include entering school ready to learn (Early Childhood), Reading at Grade Level by Third Grade (Middle Childhood), graduating from high school ready for college and career (Adolescence), completing post-secondary education or training (Adulthood Transition), successfully entering the Workforce (Adulthood) and reducing violence and providing a second chance (Throughout Life).

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This marked the second time President Obama appeared on Kimmel to read lighthearted tweets regarding his character not only as a person, but also as Commander-in-Chief.

With his tenure in the White House coming to an end, it’s great for the public eye to spend as much time with Obama as we can.

Some of the “mean” tweets criticized his eating habits while others compared him to “the Nickelback of presidents.” President Obama kept his tweet commentary to a minimum while taking the jabs like a champ. Watch the second rendition of Mean Tweets with President Obama below.

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On October 3rd the South by South Lawn festival will take place at the White House.

The festival of “Ideas, Art, and Action” will be held on the White House’s south lawn and will feature film, live music, and workshops dedicated to discussing innovation, creativity, and different ways that future generations of Americans can contribute to building a constructive, sustainable future for themselves and the world.

“It is you, the young and fearless at heart,” President Obama said in Selma, “the most diverse and educated generation in our history, who the nation is waiting to follow.”

Included in the lineup of artists slated to be at the festival are The Lumineers, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, and DJ Beverly Bond.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who’s documentary Before the Flood, a film about examining the harm people have caused to Earth and whether it’s possible to reverse it, will talk with Dr. Katherine Hayhoe, a climate scientist, and the president about the importance of caring for the planet. Following this screening will be a student film festival, which will feature appearances by actors and producers from the hit Stranger Things.

The event was inspired by South by Southwest and serves as a supplementary conversation, according to the White House, on civic engagement and for “creative thinkers and entrepreneurs from across the country to help tackle our toughest challenges.”

South by South Lawn will be streamed live on whitehouse.gov and facebook.com/WhiteHouse.

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Wednesday night’s [September 7^th] episode of Mr. Robot backed all of our characters into a tight corner. “Hidden Process” started off slow but quickly escalated minutes into the episode.

Price and Terry have a meeting to discuss the need of President Obama and his administration to allow China to take control of the Congo. This is the only way E-Corp will get bailed out from China. Terry agrees to bring the issue to the attention of the President’s administration but before leaving asks Price why he wants to see this through. We already know that Price is power hungry but his reasoning behind it makes sense. He, like every other human on the planet, wants to leave a legacy; he wants to be immortal. Becoming the most powerful man in the world, with the exception of one or two people is his way of doing that.

Speaking of power hungry individuals, Joanna reaches out to Elliot for help in locating her husband, Tyrell. Elliot declines multiple times, heeding the advice of Mr. Robot but Joanna will not rest that easily. Ultimately Elliot helps Joanna out and is able to locate the phone Tyrell is allegedly calling her off of. While the phone is in Elliot’s possession it rings and he picks it up. All we hear is heavy breathing. Mr. Robot then disappears and does not return for the remainder of the episode. He was extremely adamant about returning to Elliot’s apartment for something, yet when Elliot and Joanna’s henchmen return to his place, Mr. Robot is nowhere to be found. Once Elliot locates the phone he shows the address to Joanna’s henchmen. He seems to know the house where the phone is located and claims Tyrell wouldn’t be calling from that home. The henchmen then proceeds to exit Elliot’s pad and presumably go to the house where the phone is pinging.

Last episode, Cisco ran into some trouble at Susan’s home. Turns out the individual he ran into was one of the D.C. guys (F Society member) who happened to have been terribly beaten. Cisco brings him back to his apartment and shows Darlene. The duo proceed to bring this gentleman to the hospital and treat his wounds. However, Darlene did need some convincing. After Cisco goes ham on her, claiming she is not a leader and everything they have accomplished up until now has basically been luck and scrambling, Darlene comes to her senses and agrees to help her fellow F Society member out.

Dom is hot on Cisco’s trail. She arrives at Susan’s home and learns that Cisco had been there the night before. A neighbor had seen him hail a cab with the D.C. guy. Dom takes this information to her boss and asks to go after him without getting the media involved. As usual, they do not listen to her and Cisco’s picture goes on the news as they begin to track down the cab he took the night before. However, Dom still proceeds to ransack Cisco’s apartment (illegally?) and discovers his student I.D. She tracks Cisco back to the hospital and learns he is with a woman (Darlene). Lucky for Dom, the two did not see the news bit and have no idea she is coming. Dom tracks the two down at the diner that stopped to have dinner at, but once again The Dark Army comes to the rescue(?).

Two men in all black arrive at the diner and shoot up the place. Dom once again, miraculously makes it out unscathed. As for Darlene and Cisco…. we will have to wait until next week to learn their fate.

While this is going on, Angela sets up a meeting with Elliot and asks him about F Society. He lets her know he never wanted her involved. Angela tells Elliot that she is meeting with her lawyer and will take the fall for planting the CD but she will not bring up the others. The two then share a kiss; something that has been a long time coming. As Elliot exits the subway Angela is approached by two strangers, which as we all know can’t be good.

Next Week:

Mr. Robot returns — where did he go? What was he looking for?

Angela is put in the back of a van and taken to a remote location — who snagged her and where is she going?

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Southside With You, a movie about the early days of our First Family-Michelle and Barack Obama’s relationship, premiered at Sundance earlier this year with rave reviews from critics.

The real life love story of our first families’ is remarkable and will be viewed for years to come. Lets just say the Obama’s have really revolutionized the White House forever. President Barack and Michelle Obama has brought the presidency into the digital media age – from a plethora of TV appearances, social media engagement, and do not forget about the political policies under the administration. This modern twist of their journey to greatness is quite refreshing and inspiring for young viewers.

Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter as Barack and Michelle Obama

 Southside With You shows a confident, though broke, Barack Obama and a tough-talking Michelle Obama on their epic first date. Executive produced by singer John Legend, “Southside with You” is set in Chicago in 1989. The First Lady was then known as Michelle Robinson (played by Tika Sumpter). She and Obama (Parker Sawyers) were attorneys at the same law firm. Despite his date’s tough exterior, Barack is confident that his good looks and smooth demeanor aren’t lost on Michelle.  The daylong date takes the young lawyers across Chicago, including stops at the Art Institute of Chicago, a showing of community activism, and their seemingly innocent first kiss in front of, yes, an ice cream parlor.

Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter recount the events of Barack and Michelle Obama’s first date.

The casting for this film is amazing. These two actors, Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers, bring to life a romantic comedy of the world’s most powerful couple. If you are a true movie buff- you can notice the hard work and effort the actors put in to embody the first couple’s voice and body language. The writer/directorial debut for Richard Tanne will be forever immortalized in film and history books- this film will complete the great Obama legacy. Check out the trailer above.

Southside With You hits theaters on August 19th.

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On Monday, President Barack Obama said that he was moving to ban solitary confinement for juveniles and low-level offenders in federal prisons. Faithfully using his executive order to push for change. In a statement that was written in The Washington Times, Obama said the punishment destroys the possibility that prisoners could be rehabilitated.

“The United States is a nation of second chances, but the experience of solitary confinement too often undercuts that second chance,”

Obama wrote in his op-ed, adding the decision came after a review by the Justice Department. President Obama also stated the practice is overused and has the potential for devastating psychological consequences. The new rules also dictate that the longest a prisoner can be punished with solitary confinement for a first offense is 60 days, rather than the current maximum of 365 days.

The president’s reforms applies to roughly 10,000 federal inmates serving time in solitary confinement. Federal officials sent adults inmates to solitary for nonviolent offenses 3,800 times in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2014, the swift policy change will have more sweeping ramifications.

The reforms come six months after Obama, as part of a broader criminal-justice reform push, ordered the Justice Department to study how solitary confinement was being used by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Check out President Obama address to the NAACP in 2015 below and feel free to comment:

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Opt for some Drake– say, a new album in the works? He’s a new level of haute. Drake is in the studio right now. He’s finishing up Views From The 6, finally. Having spent months “Hotline Blinging” and “Meek Mill battling,” he is on the rise again. And Kendrick, who just happens to be nominated for 11 Grammy awards, need we say more. President Obama was asked recently in a you tube interview which rapper he preferred more. Tough decision, don’t you think? Check it out below.

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